About the Newspaper

All letters to the Times Union are subject to editing for length, taste and accuracy. Only letters written exclusively to the Times Union will be used, and only if the writer's name can also be published. To be considered for publication, letters must include the writer's name, address and daytime phone number. Contributors should specify whether they want their e-mail addresses published. Letters published in the newspaper will also appear in the opinion section of timesunion.com.

Submission Guidelines

Here are answers to some of the more common questions we receive about submitting a letter to the editor or commentary article.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Q. How do I submit a letter and is any preference given to those sent by e-mail, fax or regular mail? A. Letters in any format are welcome and will receive equal consideration. Letters sent by mail should be addressed to Times Union, Letters to the Editor, Box 15000, Albany, NY. 12212. Those sent by fax should be sent to 454-5628. Letters can also be sent by e-mail to tuletters@timesunion.com. We prefer letters to be in the text of an e-mail, not as attachments.

Q. What information do you require about a letter writer's identification?A. The writer must sign his or her full name and address and daytime phone number for verification. Only the name and hometown will be printed. We do not accept anonymous letters, nor can we withhold a writer's identification by request.

Q. Is there any word limit for letters?A. Letters of 250 words or less are preferred. Longer letters will likely be edited down, when possible, and exceptionally long letters may be rejected outright.

Q. Will you accept letters that have been sent to other papers?A. No. We accept only letters that are sent exclusively to the Times Union.

Q. I recently downloaded a form letter from a political website and sent it to the Times Union with my name. Why hasn't it appeared?A. Only original letters will be considered for publication. We do not accept form letters, chain letters, letters that have been posted on Web sites, or letters that have been prepared by anyone other than the individual who has signed his or her name at the bottom.

Q. I sent a letter in 24 hours ago. How do I know you have received it?A. Because of the volume of letters we receive every day, we cannot acknowledge their receipt. If your letter is chosen for publication, you will receive a call from the Times Union asking you to verify authorship. This usually takes two or three days.

Q. How long before my letter will be printed?A. It varies according to the volume of letters received, but the rule of thumb is five to seven days, and sometimes longer, after you receive our call.

Q. Is there any limit on how many letters I can have printed in the Times Union?A. We generally limit writers to one letter every 30 days, although that is flexible.

Q. I sent a letter to you and now I discover that I made some errors. Can I phone in the corrections?A. Because of the volume of letters received each day, we cannot take revisions or corrections over the phone. You should resubmit the entire, revised letter.

Q. Are there any rules on what topics may be addressed in the letters column?A. We prefer letters that refer to news items or commentaries that have appeared in the Times Union. In any case, we require that the writer express his or her opinion. Letters that contain accusations, first-hand reporting of events or consumer complaints are not acceptable.

Q. Why not complaints? What happens if someone is ripped off and wants to warn readers to avoid a particular business?A. Such letters contain only one side, and therefore one version, of events. To be fair, we would be required to contact the business in question for its side of the story. Because of the volume of letters we receive every day, we are unable to check out these types of complaints.

COMMENTARY ARTICLES

Articles should not exceed 600 words. Include a daytime telephone number at which you may be contacted. We do not accept:

Handwritten manuscripts

Poetry

Previously published material

Articles submitted simultaneously to any other publication

Submissions may be edited for accuracy, clarity, timeliness and space.